2021年山西省晋中市公共英语五级(笔试)真题一卷(含答案)

2021年山西省晋中市公共英语五级(笔试)真题一卷(含答案)学校:________班级:________姓名:________考号:________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15题)1.Whatcanthelistenersrelyonwhentheyarelistening?

2.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

听力原文：DoItYourselfMagazineorganizesacompetitioneverysummertoelectthe“Handymanoftheyear”.ThewinnerofthisyeariSMr．RoyMiller.aSheffieldpostman.Ajournalistandaphotographerhavecometohishouse.ThejournalistisinterviewingMr.Millerforanarticleinthemagazine.

W：Well,I'mveryimpressedbyalltheworkyou'vedoneonyourhouse,Mr.Miller.Howlonghaveyoubeenworkingonit?

M：IfirstbecameinterestedinDo-it-Yourselfseveralyearsago.Yousee,mysonPaulisdisabled.He'sinawheel-chairandIjusthadtomakealterationstothehouse.Icouldn'taffordtopayworkmentodoit.Ihadtolearntodoitmyself.

W：Hadyouhadanyexperienceinthiskindofwork?Didyouhaveanypracticalskills?

M：No.1gotafewbooksfromthelibrarybuttheydidn'thelpverymuch.SoIdecidedtogotoeveningclassessothatIcouldlearnbasiccarpentryandelectricalwiring.

W：Whatsortofchangesdidyoumaketothehouse?

M：Firstofall,practicalthingstohelpPaul.Youneverreallyrealizetheproblemshandicappedpeoplehaveuntilitattacksyourownfamily.Mostgovernmentbuildings,forexample,havestepsuptothedoor.Theydon'tplanbuildingssothatdisabledpeoplecangetinandout.Weusedtoliveinaflat,andofcourse,itwastotallyunsuitable.Justimaginetheproblemsadisabledpersonwouldhaveinyourhouse.WeneededalargerhousewithwidecorridorssothatPaulcouldgetfromoneroomtoanother.Wedidn'thavemuchmoneyandwehadtobuythisone.It'soverninetyyearsoldanditwasinaverybadstateofrepair.

W：Wheredidyoubegin?

M：Theelectrical.IcompletelyrewiredthehousesothatPaulcouldreachalltheswitches.Ihadtolowerthelightswitchesandraisethepower-points.IwentontodothewholehousesothatPaulcouldreachthingsandgowhereheneeded.

W：Whatelsedidyoudo?

M：BythetimeI'dalteredeverythingforPaul,do-it-yourselfhadbecomeahobby.Ireallyenjoyeddoingthingswithmyhands.Look,Ieveninstalledsmoke-alarms.

W：Whatwasthepurposeofthat?

M：Iwasveryworriedaboutfire.Yousee,Paulcan'tmoveveryfast.Ifittedthemsothatwewouldhaveplentyofwarningiftherewereafire.Iputinacompleteburglar-alarmsystem.Ittookweeks．Thefrontdooropensautomatically.andI'mgoingtoputadeviceonPaul'swheelchairsothathe'llbeabletoopenandcloseitwhenhewants.

W：Whatareyouworkingonnow?

M：I'vejustfinishedthekitchen.I'vedesigneditsothathecanreacheverything.NowI'mbuildinganextensionsothatPaulwillhavealargeroomonthegroundfloorwherehecanwork.

W：There'sa$10,000prize.Howareyougoingtospendit?

M：IamgoingtostartmyownbusinesssothatIcanconvertordinaryhousesfordisabledpeople.IthinkI'vebecomeanexpertonthesubject.

ThoughPaulisdisabled,hemanagedtomovearoundinthehouse.

A.RightB.Wrong

3.StudyinginanEnglish-speakingcountryisaveryeffectivewaytolearnEnglish.

A.RightB.Wrong

4.Whatadvantagesdoesworkhave?

5.A15%-20%dropinbodywatercancausethebloodsystemtofail.

A.TrueB.Fasle

6.听力原文：Farmersusuallyuseplowstopreparetheirfieldsforplantingcrops.Plowscutintotheground,andliftupweeds,andotherunwantedplants.However,plowingisblamedforcausingseveredamagetotopsoilbyremovingtheplantsthatprotectsoilfrombeingblownorwashedaway.ManyfarmersinSouthAsiaarenowtryingaprocesscalledLowTillFarming.LowTillFarminglimitstheuseofplows.Inthismethodoffarming,seedsandfertilizerareputintothesoilthroughsmallcutsmadeinthesurfaceoftheground.LowTillAgricultureleavesmuchorallthesoilandremainsofplantsontheground.Theyserveasanaturalfertilizerandhelpsupporttherootsoffuturecrops.Theytakeinrainandallowittoflowintothesoilinsteadofrunningoff.IthasbeenprovedthatLowTillFarmingincreaseshar-vestsandreduceswateruse,andthismethodreducestheneedforchemicalproductsbecausetherearefewerunwantedplants.ScientistssayLowTillFarmingisbecomingpopularinSouthAsia,whichisfacingaseverewatershortage.TheysaytheareawillbecomedependentonimportedfoodunlesswaterissavedthroughmethodslikeLowTillFarming.Currently,morethan150millionpeopleinSouthAsiadependonlocalriceandwheatcrops.Farmersgrowriceduringwetweather.Duringthedryseasontheygrowwheatinthesamefields.FarmersareusingtheLowTillFarmingmethodtoplantwheatafterharvestingrice.ScientistssayLowTillAgricultureisoneofthebestexamplesintheworldoftechnologiesworkingforbothpeopleandtheenvironment.

Whatismemainproblemcausedbytheusualwayofplowing?

A.Thecrop'sbloomingperiodisdelayed.

B.Therootsofcropsarecutoff.

C.Thetopsoilisseriouslydamaged.

D.Thegrowthofweedsisaccelerated.

7.WhatwerethetwothingsthatinterestedDr.Huber?

8.Listthreetraditionalfemaleoccupationsmentionedinthetalk.

9.Fatcellsblockbodyheatfromescapingquickly.

A.TrueB.Fasle

10.Youcanfindyournoseinthedarknessbecauseofyour"feltimage".

A.TrueB.Fasle

11.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

听力原文：Hello,everyone.TodayIwillintroduceyouthelearningchainsinBritain.Herethechainsrefertoschoolslinkedtogetheraspartofagroup.Theycanofferstudentsmanypracticaladvantages.

Whenpeopleareaskedtonamealanguageschool,moreoftenthannot,theythinkofoneofthelargeinternationalchainsofschools.Somearevastlanguageteachingorganizationswithschoolsinmanydifferentcountriesandmayteachjustonelanguage.

Oneofthemainstrengthsofthesechainsisthefactthattheirnameisfamiliartopeopleallovertheworld.Thiscanbeabigadvantageintheconfusingworldoflanguagelearning.Moststudentsarebewilderedbymelargechoiceofschoolsandcoursesonoffer,bothathomeandabroad,andsomanyprefertochooseaschoolwhichhasafamiliarnameandanestablishedreputation.Chainschoolsknowthis,andpartoftheirsuccessisduetoeffectivemarketingandadvertising,whichhelpstokeeptheirnamewell-known.

Butchainschoolsshouldnotbedismissedbyseriousstudentsjustbecausetheyuseclevermarketingtechniques.Theyhaveotherimportantstrengthenswhichcanprovideadvantagestostudents.Aschoolisonlyasgoodasitsteachersandfacilities,andmanychainsofferveryhighstandardsinboth.Morechainsrequirethattheirteachershaveinternationallyrecognizedqualificationsandamaximumamountofteachingexperience.Itisimportantforchainstomaintainthesestandardsatallschools,becausethereputationofthewholechaincanbeaffectedifoneschoolperformsbadly.

Studentsalsobenefitfromthestandardizedstructureofchains.Mostchainsusethesametextbooksinalltheirschools,andoftentheyproducetheirowncourseworkmaterials.Theyalsoorganizetheircoursesinmesamewaywhichmeansthatstartingdatesandcourselengthsareusuallythesameatallschools.

Forstudents,oneofthemainadvantagesofthisstandardizedstructureissimplicity.IfyoucannotdecidewhethertostudyintheU.S.orBritain,forexample,mostchainsallowstudentstostarttheirlanguagecourseatoneschoolandcontinueatanother,sotheycanexperiencedifferentregionsordifferentcountries,aspartofthesamestudytrip.

Chainschoolstendtobelargerthansinglecenterschools,whichcanalsohaveadvantagesforstudents.Withlargernumbersofstudents,schooladministratorscanachieveabettermixtureofnationalitiesinclassrooms.Thismeansthatstudentscanavoidbeingwithotherstudentswhospeaktheirlanguage.Thisgivesthemthechancetomeetstudentsfromothercountries,andtopracticetheirEnglishwiththem.

Somechainsofferstudentsaverysimplebookingandenrolmentprocedurewhichisalsouseful.Applicationformsandenrolmentproceduresarethesameforallschools,sostudentsneedonlysupplytheirdetailsonce.

Studentsmayfindthattheycanbooktheircourseabroadthrougharepresentativeofachainschoolintheirowntownorcity.Otherchainsofferacentralizedbookingfacility,sostudentsonlyhavetocontactonecentertomakeabookinganywhereintheworld.

Chainschoolsoftenoperateindifferentlocations,whereasasingleschoolislikelytobebasedpermanentlyinonebuilding.Manychainschoolsoperatetemporaryschools,particularlyduringthesummerholidays.InBritain,theyoftenusesecondaryschoolpremiseswhichareemptyduringtheschoolholidays.

StudyingEnglishinanEnglish-speakingcountryisthemosteffectivewaytolearnthelanguage,butformanystudentsthisisonlyonestageoftheirlearningcareer.Moststudentsstartlearning

A.TrueB.Fasle

12.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

听力原文：Thereareseveralplacesintheworldthatarefamousforpeoplewholiveforaverylongtime.Thesesplacesareusuallymountainousareas,farawayfrommoderncities.Doctors,scientistsandpublichealthexpertsoftentraveltotheseregionstosolveamysteriouslonghealthylife;theexpertshopetobringtothemodernworldthesecretsoflongevity.

HunzaishighintheHymalayanMountainsofAsia.There,manypeopleoveronehundredyearsofagearestillinphysicalhealth.Menofninetyarenewfathers,andwomenoffiftystillhavebabies.Whatarethereasonsforthisgoodhealth?ScientistsbelievethatthepeopleofHunzahavethesethreebenefits:first,physicalwork,usuallyinthefieldsorwithanimals;second,ahealthenvironmentwithcleanairandwater;andwhat'smore,asimplediethighinvitaminsandnutritionbutlowinfat,cholesterol,sugarandchemicals.

PeopleintheCaucasusMountaininRussiaarealsofamousfortheirlongevity.Inthisarea,thereareamazingexamplesofverylong-livedpeople.Birthrecordsarenotusuallyavailable,butawomancalledTsurbaprobablyliveduntilage160;amancalledShiraliprobablyliveduntil168.Hiswidowwas120yearsold.Ingeneral,peoplenotonlylivealongtime,buttheyalsolivewell.Theyarealmostneversick,andwhentheydie,theyhavenotonlytheirownteethbutalsoafullheadofhairandgoodeyesight.

Vilcabamba,Ecuador,isanotherareafamousforthelongevityofitshabit-ants.Thisregion—likeHunzaandtheCaucasus—isalsoinhighmountains,farawayfromcities.InVilcabamba,too,thereisverylittledisease.Onereasonforthegoodhealthofthepeoplemightbetheclean,beautifulenvironment:thetemperatureisabout70Fahrenheitallyearlong;thewindalwayscomesfromthesamedirection;andtheregionisrichinflowers,fruits,vegetablesandwildlife.

Insomeways,thedietsofthehabitantsinthethreeregionsarequitedifferent.Hunzukutseatmainlyrawvegetables,fruit(especiallyapricots),andchapattis—akindofpancake;theyeatmeatonlyafewtimesayear.TheCaucasiandietconsistsmainlyofmilk,cheese,vegetables,fruitandmeat;mostpeopletheredrinkthelocalredwinedaily.InVilcabamba,peopleeatasmallamountofmeateachweek,butthedietconsistslargelyofgrain,coins,beans,potatoesandfruit.

ExpertsfindonesurprisingfactinthemountainsofEcuador.Mostpeoplethere,eventheveryold,consumealotofcoffee,drinkalargeamountofalcohol,andsmokefortytosixtycigarettesdaily.

However,thedietsaresimilarintwogeneralways:first,thefruitsandvegetablesthattheinhabitantsofthethreeareaseatareallnatural;thatis,theycontainnochemicalsandsecond,thepeopleconsumefewercaloriesthanpeopledointheotherpartsoftheworld.AtypicalNorthAmericantakesinanaverageof3,300calorieseveryday;atypicalinhabitantofthesemountainousareasbetween1,700and2,000calories.

Inhabitantsinthethreeregionshavemoreincommoncalories,naturalfood,theirmountainsandtheirdistancefrommoderncities,becausethesepeopleliveincountrysideandaremostlyfarmers,theirlivesarephysicallyhard.Thus,theydonotneedtogotohealthclubsbecausetheygetalotofexerciseintheirdailywork.Inaddition,although,theirlivesarehard,thepeopledonotseemtohavetheworriesofcitypeople.Theirlivesarequiet.Consequently,someexpertsbelievethatphysicalexerciseandfreedomfromworrymightbethetwomostimportantsecretsoflongevity.

Somemoderncitiesareusuallyfamousforpeoplewholiveave

A.TrueB.Fasle

13.Paulcouldreachalltheswitchesbecausetheywereoriginallyinstalledattherightheightofhim.

A.TrueB.Fasle

14.Whichsubjectdoesthestudentsayshewasgoodat?

A.Computerprogramming.

B.Artanddesign.

C.Electronics.

D.Mathematics.

15.Theirschemeisbasedonthepremisethatallpeoplehaveabasicwayof______．

二、2.UseofEnglish(10题)16.

【C19】

17.(37)

18.(50)

19.(44)

20.

【C6】

21.(43)

22.

【C13】

23.(33)

24.(41)

25.

【C2】

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15题)26.

Thephrase"vocal...exponent"(Line2,Para.5)mostprobablyrefersto______.

A.eloquentdoctor

B.articulateopponent

C.loudspeaker

D.strongadvocate

27.(70)

28.(69)

29.

Whichofthefollowingbestsummarizesthetext?

A.AstheUNhesitates，thepoortakeaction．

B.ProgressinenvironmentalprotectionhasbeenmadesincetheRioSummit．

C.Climatechangescannolongerbeneglected．

D.Thedeclineofearth'slife-supportsystemshasbeenhalted．

30.At18,AshanthiDeSilvaofsuburbanClevelandisalivingsymbolofoneofthegreatintellectualachievementsofthe20thcentury.Bornwithanextremelyrareandusuallyfataldisorderthatleftherwithoutafunctioningimmunesystem(the"bubble-boydisease",namedafteranearliervictimwhowaskeptaliveforyearsinasterileplastictent),shewastreatedbeginningin1990witharevolutionarynewtherapythatsoughttocorrectthedefectatitsverysource,inthegenesofherwhitebloodcells.Itworked.Althoughherlastgene-therapytreatmentwasin1992,sheiscompletelyhealthywithnormalimmunefunction,accordingtooneofthedoctorswhotreatedher,W.FrenchAndersonoftheUniversityofSouthernCalifornia.Researchershavelongdreamedoftreatingdiseasesfromhemophiliatocancerbyreplacingmutantgeneswithnormalones.Andthedreamingmaycontinuefordecadesmore."Therewillbeagene-basedtreatmentforessentiallyeverydisease,"Andersonsays,"within50years."

It'snotentirelyclearwhymedicinehasbeensoslowtobuildonAnderson'searlysuccess.TheNationalInstitutesofHealthbudgetofficeestimatesitwillspend$432millionongene-therapyresearchin2005,andthereisnoshortageofpromisingleads.Thetherapeuticgenesareusuallydeliveredthroughvirusesthatdon'tcausehumandisease."ThevirusissortoflikeaTrojanhorse,"saysRonaldCrystalofNewYorkPresbyterian/WeillCornellMedicalCollege."Thecargoisthegene."

AttheUniversityofPennsylvania'sAbramsonCancerCenter,immunologistCarlJunerecentlytreatedHIVpatientswithageneintendedtohelptheircellsresisttheinfection.AtCornellUniversity,researchersarepursuinggene-basedtherapiesforParkinson'sdiseaseandararehereditarydisorderthatdestroyschildren'sbraincells.AtStanfordUniversityandtheChildren'sHospitalofPhiladelphia,researchersaretryingtofigureouthowtohelppatientswithhemophiliawhotodaymustinjectthemselveswithexpensiveclottingdrugsforlife.Animalexperimentshaveshowngreatpromise.

Butsomehow,thingsgetlostinthetranslationfromlaboratorytopatient.Inhumantrialsofthehemophiliatreatment,patientsshowaresponseatfirst,butitfadesovertime.Andthefieldhasstillnotrecoveredfromthesetbackitsufferedin1999,whenJesseGelsinger,an18-year-oldwithararemetabolicdisorder,diedafterreceivinganexperimentalgenetherapyattheUniversityofPennsylvania.Someexpertsworrythatthefieldwillbetarnishedfurtherifthenextpeopletobenefitarenotpatientsbutathletesseekinganedge.Thissummer,researchersattheSalkInstituteinSanDiegosaidtheyhadcreateda"marathonmouse"byimplantingagenethatenhancesrunningability;already,officialsattheWorldAnti-DopingAgencyarepreparingtotestathletesforsignsof"genedoping".Buttheprincipleisthesame,whetheryou'retryingtohelpahealthyrunnerrunfasterorallowamuscular-dystro-phypatienttowalk."Everybodyrecognizesthatgenetherapyisaverygoodidea,"saysCrystal."Andeventuallyit'sgoingtowork."

ThecaseofAshanthiDesilvaismentionedinthetextto

A.showthepromiseofgene-therapy

B.giveanexampleofmodemtreatmentforfataldiseases

C.introducetheachievementofAndersonandhisteam

D.explainhowgene-basedtreatmentworks

31.

FromDr.Dustan'sstudywecaninferthat_____.

A.alow-saltdietmaybeprescribedforsomepeople

B.theamountofsaltintakehasnothingtodowithone'sbloodpressure

C.thereductionofsaltintakecancureahypertensivepatient

D.anextremelylow-saltdietmakesnodifferencetoanyone

32.

Whichofthefollowingistheauthor'sopinionaboutthewomanattheGlobalSupportCentre?

A.Shesoundedhelpfulandknowledgeable.

B.Shewastheretomakecallersfrustrated.

C.Shewasabletosolvehercomputerproblem.

D.Shewasquicktopassheralongtoatechnician.

33.

WhatisNOTtrueabouttheeightgirls?

A.Theyareallbetween12and17.

B.Theyhavetriedavarietyofmeasures.

C.Theyattendasuicidesquad.

D.Alltheirattemptstocommitsuicidearevital.

34.PartB

Directions:Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66-70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA-Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66～70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA～Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

DoesthepublisherofDouglasStarr'sexcellentBlood--AnEpicHistoryofMedicineandCommerceactuallyexpecttosellmanycopies?Whoeverchosethetitleiscertaintoscareoffthesqueamish,andthesubtitle,whichmakestheeffortsoundlikeadry,densesurveytext,hasreallydonethisbookadisservice.Infact,thebraveandcuriouswillenjoyabrightlywritten,intriguing,anddisquietingbook,withsomeimportantlessonsforpublichealth.

66.______

Thebookbeginswithahistoricalviewoncenturiesofloreaboutblood--inparticular,thebeliefthatbloodcarriedtheevilhumorsofdiseaseandrequiredoccasionaldraining.AsrecentlyastheRevolutionaryWar,bloodlettingwaswidelyappliedtotreatfevers.Theideaofusingoneperson'sbloodtohealanotherisonlyabout75yearsold—althoughroguescientistshadexperimentedwithtransfusinganimalbloodatleastasearlyasthe1600s.Thefirsttransfusionexperimentsinvolvedstitchingadonor'svein(inearlycasesthephysician's)toapatient'svein.

67.______

Sabotagedbynotionsaboutthe"purity"oftheirgroups'blood,JapanandGermanylaggedwellbehindtheAlliesintransfusionscience.OncetheyrealizedtheywerelosinginjuredtroopstheAllieshadlearnedtosave,theytriedtocatchup,conductinghorribleandunproductiveexperimentssuchasdrainingbloodfromPOWsandinjectingthemwithhorsebloodorpolymers.

68.______

Duringtheearlytomid-1980s,Startsays,10,000Americanhemophiliacsand12,000otherscontractedHIVfromtransfusionsandreceiptofbloodproducts.Bloodbanksbothhereandabroadmovedslowlytoacknowledgethethreatofthevirusandinsomecasesevenactedwithcriminalnegligence,allowingthedistributionofbloodtheyknewwastainted.Thisisnotnewmaterial.ButStarr'sinsightsaddadimensiontoastoryfirstexploredinthelateRandyShilts'sAndtheBondPlayedOn.

69.______

Isthebloodsupplysafenow?Screeningproceduresandtechnologyhavegottenmuchmoreadvanced.Yetit'sdisturbingtoreadStarr'scontentionthatapersonreceivingmultipletransfusionstodayhasaboutalin90,000chanceofcontractingHIV--farhigherthanthe"oneinamillion"figurethatbloodbankersonceblithelyandfalselyquoted.Moreover,newpathogensthreatentoemergeandspreadthroughtheincreasinglyhigh-speed,globalblood-productnetworkfasterthansciencecanstopthem.ThispromptsStarttoarguethattoday'sbloodstoresare"simultaneouslysaferandmorethreatening"thanwhendistributionwaslesssophisticated.

70.______

A.Themassivewartimeblooddriveslaidthegroundworkformodernblood-banking,whichhassavedcountlesslives.Unfortunately,thesedevelopmentsalsosetthestageforagreatmoderntragedy--thespreadofAIDSthroughtheinternationalbloodsupply.

B.Thereissomuchdrama,power,resonance,andimportantinformationinthisbookthatitwouldbeashameifthesqueamishwerescaredoff.Perhapsthekeylessonisthis:Thepublichealthmustalwaysbeguardedagainstthepressuresandpitfallsofcompetitivemarketsandhumanfallibility.

C.Inhischronicleofaresource,Startcoversanenormousamountofground.Hegivesusanaccountofmankind'sattitudesovera400-yearperiodtowards

35.(74)

36.(72)

37.(75)

38.

WhatdoestheauthorthinkofBotticelli'srepresentationskills?

A.Theyaretobefullyappreciated.

B.Theyevolvefromanuncertainsource.

C.Theyunderliehispersonality.

D.Theyconform.totheclassicalstyle.

39.(77)

40.PartB

Directions:Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66-70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA-Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66～70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA~Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Thepressisconstantlyremindingusthatthedramaticincreaseintheageofourpopulationoverthenext30orsoyearswillcausenationalhealthcaresystemstocollapse,economiestocrumpleunderthestrainofpensiondemandsanddisintegratingfamiliestobuckleunderincreasingcarecommitments.YetresearchatOxfordisbeginningtoexposesomeofthewidespreadmythsthatunderliethisrhetoric.Demographicageingisundoubtedlyareality.Lifeexpectancyindevelopedcountrieshasrisencontinuouslyoverthepastcentury,increasingthepercentageofthoseovertheageof60relativetothoseundertheageof15.By2030halfthepopulationofWesternEuropewillbeovertheageof50,withapredictedaveragelifeexpectancyofafurther40years.Bythen,aquarterofthepopulationwillbeover65andby2050theUK'scurrentnumberof10,000centenariansarepredictedtohavereachedaquarterofamillion.SomedemographershaveevensuggestedthathalfofallbabygirlsbornintheWesttodaywilllivetoseethenextcentury.

66.______

Indeed,ifthiscouldbeachievedthroughouttheworld,itwouldsurelycountasthesuccessofcivilization,forthenwewouldalsohaveconqueredthekillersofpoverty,disease,famineandwar.

Decreasingmortalityrates,increasinglongevityanddecliningfertilitymeansmallerpercentagesofyoungpeoplewithinpopulations.Overthepast20yearslifeexpectancyatbirthintheUKhasrisenbyfouryearsformen(to75)andthreeyearsforwomen(to80).MeanwhilefertilityratesacrossEuropehavedeclinedmoreorlesscontinuouslyoverthepast40yearsandremainwellbelowthelevelsrequiredforEuropeanpopulationstobeabletoreplacethemselveswithoutsubstantiveimmigration.Butagain,ratherthanseeingthisasadoomandgloomscenario,weneedtoexplorethepositiveaspectsofthesedemographics.Thenext50yearsshouldprovideuswithanopportunitytoenjoythemanyadvantagesofasocietywithamaturepopulationstructure.67.______

ThefirstoftheseisthecurrentpoliticalrhetoricwhichclaimsthathealthservicesacrosstheWesternworldarecollapsingunderthestrainofdemographicageing.

68.______

Thesecondmythistheviewthattheratioofworkerstonon-workerswillbecomesoacutethatWesterneconomieswillcollapse,compoundedbyamassivegrowthinpensiondebt.Whilethereareundoubtedconcernsovercurrentpensionshortfalls,itisaisoclearthatworkingliveswillthemselveschangeoverthenextfewdecades,withapredictedincreaseinflexibleandpart-timeworkandtheprobableextensionofworkinglifeuntiltheageof70.Indeed,wehavetorecognizethatwecannotexpecttoretireattheageof50andthenbeabletosupportourselvesforanother40orsoyears.Neitherasolidpensionschemenorsavingscancarrypeoplethatlong.

69.______

Afurthermythisthatwewillallliveinloose,multigenerationalfamilies,experiencingincreasedemotionaldistancingfromourkin.Evidencefromavarietyofstudiesacrossthedevelopedworldsuggeststhat,ifanything,themodemfamilyisactuallybecomingmoreclose-knit.WorkcardedoutbytheOxfordInstituteinScandinaviaa